State Journal

Longer summers

It has become an annual ritual: The House education committee in
Michigan regularly rebuffs tourism-industry efforts to delay the
opening of the school year until after Labor Day.

But this year, supporters of the change cast tradition aside and
took their case to the chamber's tourism committee. The strategy
worked. This month, the panel passed a bill that would prohibit schools
from opening before Labor Day.

"The Labor Day holiday can be a huge revenue generator for our
tourist businesses, but only if schools are open after Labor Day," said
Rep. Pat Gagliardi, the Democratic sponsor of the bill.

But Tony Derezinski, the director of government relations for the
Michigan Association of School Boards, said that such a bill ignores
Michigan's 1995 school reform law, which reduced state control over
schools. "This bill is totally inconsistent with local control," he
said. "You can't have it both ways."

About 83 percent of the state's schools now begin their year before
Labor Day. School officials say the bill would force them to keep their
doors open longer, possibly through the end of June.

While Gov. John Engler, a Republican, has said that he would sign
the bill, Mr. Derezinski, a former state senator, doubts the bill's
chances of passing in the Senate.

"The principle of it is to help tourism," he added. "But it goes
against the kids it regulates."

More uniforms

A lot more of Pennsylvania's 1.8 million public school students
could be in uniforms next fall.

Under a bill sponsored by Sen. James J. Rhoades, the Republican
chairman of his chamber's education committee, local school boards
would be given the authority to set mandatory uniform policies. Schools
would not be required, however, to set such policies.

The Senate committee passed the bill 11-0 earlier this month.
Republican Gov. Tom Ridge has said that he would sign the legislation.
The House education committee passed a similar bill earlier this year,
although the full chamber has not acted on the proposal.

The current education code allows school boards to approve voluntary
student-uniform policies. Only a handful of schools have such
programs.

Nationally, 10 states let districts mandate uniforms. And some,
including California, require districts to subsidize the uniform costs
for needy students. Pennsylvania would not require such aid.